The utter lack of social sensibilities for recruitment of the SC and ST to advertised positions at the Goa University is a gross violation of constitutional and statutory guidelines. The Goa University has been bypassing reservations for posts of SCs and STs right from its very inception. For nearly 15 years there were no reservations made at all, for STs and STs in teaching positions. There were many instances of non Goan candidates who tried to claim confirmation on SC/ ST posts by claiming that they were lower castes in their states.
But the latest allegations that SC/ ST candidates were allegedly denied selection, as elucidated in Herald, June 22 edition, under vice chancellor Dr Satish Shetye and Registrar Dr Vijayendra Kamat, both Goans, needs to be thoroughly investigated at the earliest by the government. As per UGC rules general category candidate or an SC /ST candidate from other states cannot be appointed on a reserved post in another state. The SC/ ST candidate thus appointed has to be from the same state. If such candidates are found ineligible, the post has to be filled in temporarily and can under no circumstances be converted to a general post ever. Thus allegations that candidates from Tamil Nadu and other states were selected, would make Goans wonder why when Goans are at the helm are caste, regionalistic or nepotistic influences seeping into selections and who are involved?
A University as Studium Generale, or ‘School of Universal Learning,’ is implied to be an assemblage of faculty and students from all parts in one spot, so that cross cultural and universal learning takes place. However, the important pre-condition for this kind of selection is that faculty selected from outside the State, has to be renowned scholars who can promulgate knowledge of a high order among Goan students. A scrutiny of incumbents indicate that largely mediocre persons from ‘Gorakhpur, Kanpur, UK (Uttar Kanara) and other places have been selected with no national or international level academic achievements and teaching is abysmal as seen from students who come out of the institution. Secondly, in nearly all universities in India, most selections are done on fiercely parochial basis such that in Andhra Pradesh, it was very difficult for candidate of one region, say Telangana, to get selected as faculty in Seemandhra, let alone from outside the state. Given this harsh reality, it is naive on the part of Goans to believe that outside candidates with non English background and mediocre achievements will help our students to excel as seen from the quality of post graduates. Nearly 29 years of the existence of the Goa University there have been very few exceptions to this trend, with very few faculty who could fit the tag of “brilliant” as evidenced from their research.
It is high time that government train and groom Goan talent to take up faculty positions in Goa University, by sending them abroad for learning. The government of the day did not groom Goans for research and teaching positions before founding the National Institute of Oceanography in the 70s and Goa University in 1985, even as it gave acres of land and money to the two institutions from Goan public money. It is true that Goans also work elsewhere, but in most universities, ‘outside state’ faculty is a minority.
